@article{fdi:010076587,
  title = {{H}ydro-climate characteristics of the karst system of {W}intimdouine cave ({W}estern {H}igh {A}tlas, {M}orocco) : monitoring and implications for paleoclimate research},
  author = {{B}rahim, {Y}. {A}. and {B}ouchaou, {L}. and {S}ifeddine, {A}bdelfettah and {B}eraaouz, {E}. and {W}anaim, {A}. and {C}heng, {H}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{T}he cave of {W}intimdouine, located in a semi-arid context in {M}orocco, comprises the longest-known underground river in {A}frica. {T}his cave system faces many challenges related to anthropogenic and climate forcing. {T}herefore, it has become necessary to understand the functioning of the aquifer system of {W}intimdouine and how the regional climate affects its environment. {H}erein, we used different approaches based on a 4-year monitoring to shed light on the hydro-chemical behavior and stable isotopes contents of water samples, climate settings inside the cave, and moisture trajectory analyses. {C}hemical analyses show that groundwater is dominated by bicarbonate and calcite with an excellent chemical quality of cave water, suggesting an active recharge of the aquifer system which constitutes the main drinking source in the region. {T}he stable isotope composition is consistent among rainwater, cave water and groundwater samples outside the cave. {T}he evaporation effect is not significant, probably due to the rapid infiltration of surface water to the epikarst and vadose zone, which is favored by the abundance of exo-karstic forms above the cave. {T}he cave monitoring indicates that periods of increased drip water flow induce an increase of temperature and humidity inside the cave, mainly during the spring-summer season. {T}he high relative humidity and the relatively stable temperature favor the carbonate deposition under equilibrium conditions with drip water inside the cave. {F}urthermore, the moisture trajectory analysis confirms that the predominant air masses reach {W}intimdouine cave from the {N}orth {A}tlantic {O}cean, consistent with the mean deuterium-excess value of rainwater samples and the {NAO}-related westerly winds. {H}ence, we highlight the potential of {W}intimdouine speleothem delta {O}-18 as a proxy of past climate variability at a regional scale.},
  keywords = {{U}nderground river ; {S}table isotopes ; {M}oisture trajectories ; {C}ave monitoring ; {C}limate variability ; {NAO} ; {MAROC} ; {HAUT} {ATLAS}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{E}nvironmental {E}arth {S}ciences},
  volume = {78},
  numero = {16},
  pages = {art. 508 [15 p.]},
  ISSN = {1866-6280},
  year = {2019},
  DOI = {10.1007/s12665-019-8496-5},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010076587},
}